Price on head of dog-slayers

THREE of the children devastated by Megan's death, pictured with Megan

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A SADISTIC teenager - who killed a family pet with a powerful firework - has a price on his head.

A Guardian reader has offered a £500 reward for information leading to the capture of the youths who threw the firework that killed the dog in Boarshaw. The incident left six young children shocked and distressed.

The dog-lover who wishes to remain anonymous said: "I know the heartbreak that can be caused by the loss of a dog. My family is still grieving after one of our dogs was shot, I believe unlawfully, by a farmer last year."

Police have been notified of the reward.

The youth responsible for the dog's death is believed to be aged about 15, and was among a gang taunting the dog on Valley Road, Boarshaw last Thursday by throwing fireworks at it. The family pet, Megan, a cross-English bull terrier, eventually picked up one of the fireworks, which exploded in its mouth, killing her.

Now its death is likely to give added impetus to "Megan's Law 2" - the legislation being sought by Middleton MP Jim Dobbin to strengthen the fireworks law.

Chief Inspector Ian Lomax of Middleton Police expressed his abhorrence of the attack. He said: "Fireworks are dangerous explosives and should be treated with an enormous degree of safety. This tragically proved the damage that they cause. If it had been a child that had picked up the firework we could now be starting a murder inquiry."

"There were three youths involved in taunting this dog. One of them threw a particularly large firework, which the dog picked up in its mouth. The firework exploded killing it and the youths ran off."

The firework thrower is described as being aged about 15, white, about 5ft 6in tall, of slight build, with fair eyebrows and a very pale complexion. He was wearing a black/grey baseball club, black tracksuit top and dark coloured tracksuit bottoms.

"It is very important we trace these youths and I urge anyone with any information to contact us on 0161-856 8746 or to phone Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

"I would urge parents who have fireworks to please keep them safely away from their children and ensure that when fireworks are being used that correct supervision is in place. In the run up to Bonfire Night I would also like to send a message to shopkeepers to comply with the law and not to sell these explosives irresponsibly to young children."

He said police would now be sending letters to Middleton shopkeepers urging them to strictly abide by current laws which forbid the sale of fireworks to under-16s. He would also be contacting the council to ensure their inspectors do all they can to ensure the laws are enforced.

Megan's owner, Melanie Fallon said her six children had been left "distraught" by their pet's violent death. She said: "The first we knew about it was when a boy came to the house saying that the dog was dead in the street. We've had Megan for more than eight years, she was a real family pet and is going to be terribly missed.

"Everyone round here loved her, I just hope she died immediately and didn't suffer too much. She's had loads of puppies and many of them have homes in the area and they will be a reminder to us of our Megan."

Middleton MP Jim Dobbin has long been seeking tighter legislation on firework sales. With the help of a group of fellow MPs he has already taken a 10-minute rule bill through two readings in parliament to ban the general public sale of fireworks.

Mr Dobbin said: "This incident in Middleton is a tragic reminder of the dangers that fireworks present when they are not used sensibly. The general public sale of fireworks all year round has led to them becoming a major nuisance and a serious danger. I hope this Bill will receive the full backing of the House and that all parties will support this ban."

Today (Wednesday) Mr Dobbin went to Downing Street to present a petition, collected in the Middleton area, to the Prime Minister. It urged Mr Blair to urgently review fireworks legislation and in particular:

Require all public firework displays to be controlled by licensed pyro-technicians.

To restrict the times of the year when fireworks can be bought.

To restrict the times of the day when fireworks can be set off.

To license all vendors of fireworks to meet strict safety criteria and to give trading standards officers the power to revoke the license of any vendor caught selling fireworks to underage children.

Inspector Martyn Fletcher from the RSPCA, who covers the North Manchester area said: "This was a terrible tragedy which has caused suffering to a dog and the family that owned it. A dog is an integral member of any family and they are now left to deal with the loss.

"Each year we deal with hundreds of incidents involving fireworks and animals. The RSPCA will support GMP in any way we can to catch the person responsible for this."

He said that last year there was a local case in which a cat was put in a bin and firework thrown in. The cat received terrible injuries and had to be put down.